Judge Fines Chinese Company $1.5 Million For Stealing Trade Secrets

A federal judge fined a Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Friday for stealing trade secrets, adding to a growing list of Chinese companies that have stolen U.S. secrets.

U.S. District Judge James Peterson hit Sinovel Wind Group with the maximum fine of $1.5 million for stealing secrets from a Massachusetts-based energy tech company, AMSC. He also placed the company on probation for a year.

“This case is about protecting American ideas and ingenuity,” U.S. attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin Scott C. Blader said. “The devastation Sinovel’s illegal actions caused to AMSC and its employees will not be tolerated.”

U.S. prosecutors charged the company with a number of crimes including conspiracy, theft of trade secrets, and wire fraud back in 2013. The U.S. convicted Sinovel of the crimes in January of this year, The Daily Caller News Foundation reported.

“Sinovel nearly destroyed an American company by stealing its intellectual property,” said acting Assistant Attorney General Cronan in January when the company was convicted. “As today’s jury verdict demonstrates, this type of conduct, by any corporation – anywhere – is a crime, and won’t be tolerated. The Department is dedicated to helping foster innovation and growth in our economy by deterring and punishing intellectual property theft from American companies.”

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